The Real Reason
by the Insomniac's Past
Summary: Rated R to be on the safe side. A look into the home life of Manny Santos.


Author's Note: There's a dictionary at the bottom of this for all the Spanish phrases, just FYI.  
  
Manuela "Manny" Santos huddled in the shadows of her bedroom closet, her knees pulled up to her chest as she rocked herself gently. From the living room of the apartment she shared with her parents, she could her father's booming voice cursing in Spanish. The unmistakable sound of someone getting slapped echoed throughout the small dwelling, causing Manny to wince involuntarily. Silence filled the air for a few moments and Manny relaxed. Maybe he would go to bed early tonight and forget all about the dishes she'd left unfinished in the sink. Her hopes were dashed as her father's pounding footsteps moved from the living room and down the hall to Manny's locked door.  
  
"¡Abra la puerta, Manuela!" he demanded as he pounded on the door. Manny remained hidden in her closet, whispering the musical Spanish prayers her mother had taught her. When the pounding stopped, so did Manny. She climbed back into her bed, slipping quickly into sleep. He had finally gone away. Or so she'd thought.  
  
Her bedroom door crashed down onto the floor, her fuming father standing in its wake.  
  
"¡Le dije abrir la puerta!" he yelled, advancing swiftly to her bedside and roughly throwing her to the floor. "¡Esto le enseñará a desobedecerme!" While Manny lay trembling on the ground, he unbuckled the belt from around his waist and dragged his daughter over the wood shards towards him. Without even stopping to think, he sat down on her bed, bent her over his knee, and snapped the leather strap all over her clothed body.  
  
Manny writhed in pain and tried to curl up in a protective ball, pleading to her father. "El padre, para por favor," she shouted as she felt the welts rise up under her clothes. When she realized that her appeals were doing nothing, Manny retreated within herself, returning to a place where no one could ever hurt her.  
  
Her soul rose up from her body, flying millions of miles away until she felt a gentle tug on her arm. Craig was standing there with a huge smile on his face and a promising look in his eyes. A feeling of love washed over Manny as he took her into his arms and whispered comforting words. Then Craig spun her out, leaving her to twirl dizzily in place. Another pair of arms encircled her; this time they were Ashley's.  
  
No words were spoken, but Manny got the distinct impression that Ashley was wishing her good luck with Craig, that she didn't hate Manny for stealing away her boyfriend. The girls shared a quick hug before Ashley turned Manny around and pointed to a ghostly figure.  
  
The figure materialized in front of Manny's eyes, revealing a grinning Emma. Her arms opened and Manny nearly knocked Emma over with the force of her embrace. Everything was perfect now.  
  
Friend after friend came up to Manny, giving her a hug or a small kiss on the cheek, all of them radiating security and love. No one cried or screamed or bled. No one could ever get hurt here.  
  
Manny felt her body pulling her back in, dragging her back to reality and away from the paradise. Her eyes opened to see her tearful mother tightly cradling her, a red handprint painfully visible across the side of her face.  
  
"Está bien, querido," Maria Santos whispered to her daughter. "Todo será apenas fino." Manny sniffled and held on to her mother, trying to hold back the tears that were springing to her face. Her entire body was on fire and she knew that it would be nearly impossible to do anything tomorrow morning. But it was part of her life, and she was used to it. Her mother would carefully apply her (grandmother's) homemade ointment to the oozing red marks and lovingly lay the cold compresses on the really bad spots.  
  
"Mama," Manny squeaked as the tears feel.  
  
"Shhh," Maria soothed. "Mi hija preciosa, you must not cry. You must be strong and bring honor to your name. One day, you will move far away and marry a man who loves you with all his heart. You must promise me, Manuela, that you will never give your heart to a man who hits you." When Manny didn't answer, Maria softly pried her arms from around her and looked into the brown eyes that looked so much like her own.  
  
"Prométame, Manuela. Jure en su sepulcro que usted nunca casará a hombre como su padre," Maria demanded, lightly shaking her only child's shoulders.  
  
"Prometo, Mama," Manny murmured as she fell back into her mother's protective grasp.  
  
"Good girl," Maria answered as she stroked Manny's hair. But despite the promise made to her mother, Manny knew that the one man who held her heart and already hurt her.  
  
And she would never give him up.  
  
FIN  
  
Spanish-English Mini-Dictionary  
  
1. "¡Abra la puerta, Manuela!" - "Open the door, Manuela!"  
  
2. "¡Le dije abrir la puerta!" - "I told you to open the door!"  
  
3. "¡Esto le enseñará a desobedecerme!" - "This will teach you to disobey me!"  
  
4. "El padre, para por favor," - "Father, please stop,"  
  
5. "Está bien, querido," - "It's okay, darling,"  
  
6. "Mi hija preciosa," - "My precious daughter,"  
  
7. "Prométame, Manuela. Jure en su sepulcro que usted nunca casará a hombre como su padre." - "Promise me, Manuela. Swear on your grave that you will never marry a man like your father."  
  
8. "Prometo," - "I promise,"  
  
PLEASE NOTE! These aren't literal translations. To be honest, I'm not well- versed in the Spanish language and had to use an online translator. So if Spanish is your first language, I would appreciate any corrections you can offer. Thanks! 


End file.
